Attorney Henry E. Hockeimer, Jr., left, and former Mayor Stephen Reed outside a district courtroom Tuesday.
Stephen Reed, Harrisburg’s seven-term former “mayor for life” who oversaw a renaissance of the Pennsylvania capital as well as its descent into an all-consuming debt crisis, was arraigned Tuesday morning on criminal charges resulting from a long-running state grand jury probe.
Reed, 65, arrived at the Linglestown offices of Dauphin County District Judge William C. Wenner around 8 a.m., wearing a dark suit and glasses. He was accompanied by attorney Henry E. Hockeimer, Jr., who leads the white-collar defense practice of the Philadelphia firm Ballard Spahr.
The pair pulled into the parking lot a few seconds behind Clarke Madden, the prosecutor in the attorney general’s office who is said to be leading the probe.
“Surreal,” Reed said in response to a question about how he was feeling, as he crossed the lot and entered the court building. When asked if he had done anything criminal, he replied, “Not that I know of.”
Less than an hour later, Judge Wenner read out a list of 17 charges in the criminal complaint against Reed, encompassing more than 400 counts that included theft, bribery, and evidence tampering.
The counts covered actions related to the Harrisburg Parking Authority and the Harrisburg School District, as well as actions connected to city government. Several of them also name Richard Pickles, a former Harrisburg police detective, whom the complaint alleges was involved in criminal solicitation and theft of service.
Wenner said that accompanying the complaint was a “voluminous” grand jury presentment that more specifically detailed the individual counts, and referred to a set of exhibits that would outline the individual claims of receiving stolen property.
After reading the charges, Wenner said he would set bail at $150,000 unsecured, meaning that Reed would not have to post bond. He also said he would ask Reed to forfeit his passport and would restrict his travel to within state boundaries.
Following the arraignment, Hockeimer and Reed each read from prepared statements outside the court building defending Reed’s motives and integrity.
“For 28 years Steve Reed served the people of Harrisburg with energy, commitment and love for the city,” Hockeimer said. “He loved his job as mayor and he poured his heart and soul into it. Mr. Reed also had a deep respect for his position as a public servant and carried out his role with dedication and integrity.”
Hockeimer said Reed would be fighting the charges, which he suggested were “inspired more by political agendas than by anything else,” and said the former mayor “looks forward to his day in court.”
He also expressed concern about how media initially learned of the charges, saying it was information the grand jury process should have protected.
Reed also spoke briefly, saying that “misperceptions and politics are very much intertwined” in the accusations against him. “I regarded service as mayor to be a sacred trust and a calling to a high and noble purpose.”
He went on to compliment the staff that worked with him and to point to the city’s progress as his administration’s legacy. “I devoted my life to the city of Harrisburg, and I look forward to waging a vigorous fight against these charges,” he said.
Neither Hockeimer nor Madden gave any statement in the courtroom. A press release from the office of Attorney General Kathleen Kane said there would be a “major announcement” about the grand jury investigation at 11 a.m. Tuesday at the state capitol, but did not provide further details.
Reed had been presumed to be a target of the probe since its existence was first confirmed in 2013. The grand jury has reportedly been investigating the origins of a debt crisis tied to a city incinerator that nearly pushed Harrisburg into bankruptcy.
Past reports suggested the probe may have expanded into other areas of governance under Reed, a mayor who has been both praised for his vision and work ethic and criticized for reckless spending and an autocratic governing style.
In particular, investigators were said to have taken an interest in how Reed used the Harrisburg Authority, a municipal financing entity, as a kind of checking account for pet projects, such as acquiring artifacts for a hoped-for network of museums.
In early June, investigators raided Reed’s home on Cumberland street in Midtown, hauling away boxes and numerous Western-style artifacts, including saddles, barrels and a stuffed coyote. Reed later told reporters that the artifacts removed were all his personal possessions.
